Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-11-25
THE SABBATH DAY.
EXPLANATORY NOTES BY REV, GEO,
P. HAYS, D. D., IL. D.

L.A on TX of the International Series
Fourth Quarter for sunday, Nov. ~.
Text of the Lesson, Matt. xii, la;
Golden Text, Matt. xii, II.
We have here remarkable indication of
the poverty of Clic;-. and his disciples They
do not seem to have been far away from the
habitations of men: yet they seem to have
been SO poor that this morning they had had
no breakfast. Their plucking of these ears of
corn was to satisfy hunger and not for amuse-
ment. In the Mosaic law this eating by the
wayside was made lawful as we see in Deut
xiii, %. This act of the disciples was not
petty stealing in the light of this provision.
1t was no more stealing than is the picking
of the small coal thrown out upon the waste
dump Of coal mine by the children of the
neighborhood The Pharisees do not raise
the question of theft, but only the question
of Sabbath work.
Tho Sabbath-In this lesson we have set
forth the two types of lawful Sabbath work.
works of necessity and works of mercy.
Two things are to be noted just here. If
the Sabbath was to be abolished, now was
Christ's time to make some indication of that
fact. Neither here nor anywhere else does he
suggest that tho Sabbath was n Mosaic inst-
tuition, and therefore terminated its obser-
vance with his coming. In all the Pharisees
said its perpetuity is assumed; and its perpe-
tuity is Just as confidently assumed in all
Christ said in reply. He did not discuss its
existence and obligation, but commended and
enforced both. He only discussed the right
method of its observance.
Still further, verse S is aspecinc declaration
of authority on his part over tho Sabbath day
Exhemes.-Men are very prone to run to
extremes This is conspicuousy shown in
regard to the Sabbath day. One class of peo-
pie abolish it by saying that every day is
holy and should he kept sacred. This, in ex-
pclience, has simply resulted In destroying
all sacred Sabbath. Another class says that
no day is holy, and that what is right on any
day is right on every day. These also de
stroy the Sabbath by their laxity. Others
still destroy it by the rigidity with which
they exclude everything that requires bodily
activity. This was the line Of argument of
these Pharisccs. Fiucl,ng the ears of corn
and eating required some physical exerton
Christ, in his reply, covers two classes of la
Dor, and iustities them as right upon Abe
Sabbath. The one was that kind of labor
required for health and life. Such was the
case of David when he entered into the house
of God and did cat the shew bread. The
ceremonial law would have prohibited him
and his men, The law, however, was not the
end of its own existence but merely the
means of grace to promote the spiritual life
of those that kept it, Therefore Christ JUS
titles David, as God had previously justified
him and his folowcrsTn this formal breach
of the law. We are not to make arrange
ments for extra work on the Sabbath in the
direction of providing food, and then justify
it on this plea, as is sometimes done by Sun
day visits. But that work to provide food,
which is reasonable and fairly unavoidable,
is not improper on the Sabbath day.
Work in worShiping.-The other kind
of work which the Saviour justifies is that in
volved in the worship of God. The priest,
did not rest on the sabbath day, but went on
with their work in the service of the temple
Chrst's introduction of this additional illus
ration is an adroit answer to form of the
question which was not included in the OBJ
lection made by the Pharisees, but was Ger
tain to come up In his future church more
or less of effort would be involved in the
work of his ministry and that which is nee
essay for them in their work is as proper as
the necessary work Of the priests in tie tenn
PIE. 1t is not unlawful work for the sexton to
build the fires which are needtul to make the
house of God comfortable
Deeds of mercy-Tho second type of law
ful Sabbath work which the Saviour approves
of Tvs. 10-l2 is deeds of mercy. Gods method
of giving a commandment is to use typical
act as inclusive Of all of its kind When he
would require honesty he simply says, Thou
shalt not steal;' when he would protect
character he says, 'Thou shalt not bear false
witness" So both in this case and in the pre-
ceding part of tho lesson a typical case is
given in order to include all of the kind
Visiting the unfortunate-On the other
hand, visiting the sick and the sad and the
tempted is precisely in the line of what Christ
here approves In the modern church the
Sabbath day is not much used for this lslr-
pose. 1t is well worth considering whether
any time is more suitable for the visiting of
the poor and sick or more likely to find the
visited in proper frame of mind than the
Sabbath day.
The success of the miracle here was tho
Vndication by omnipotent power of the
Saviour's teaching These miracles and this
reasoning made Christ's position unassailablc
Tho Pharisees, however, instead of being
converted to his views, sought TO destroy him
". IA. 1t is a very hard thing to surrender,
when it involves on our part confession
that we were wrong.
REMEMBER.